Progress in air travel digital wallets as live test completed

Identity tech startup Neoke has completed a pilot that it claims will push the digital travel experience a step further.

Neoke, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2023, uses blockchain and cloud-based technologies to allow travelers to securely store and share their personal data with travel suppliers as needed.

The pilot, in partnership with IATA, took place on October 21 and 22, and is being heralded an industry first because it took place in a “live environment,” following an initial proof-of-concept during a test scenario back in 2023. The latest test was carried out during a round-trip Cathay Pacific flight between Hong Kong International Airport and Japan’s Narita International Airport.

Along with IATA, several other industry partners were involved, including Branchspace, Facephi, NEC, Northern Block and SICPA. Bhola and others shared details of the pilot during a session at IATA's World Passenger symposium last week.

The run-through involved two travelers who used Neoke’s digital wallets containing their digital passport, company ID and frequent flyer credentials to obtain personalized offers, book a flight, obtain a visa, check their travel documentation, check-in and receive boarding passes.

In a statement IATA said the travelers were able to use biometric identification to manage airport processes without repeatedly showing their travel documents. 

“The journey integrated seven verifiable credentials (ePassport copy, live biometric image, visa copy, company ID, frequent flyer membership, order, and boarding pass), two digital wallets and a trust registry to verify issuers,” the association said.

Digital identity in action

“The IATA project was basically an open statement, an experiment,” said Vikas Bhola, Neoke co-founder and CEO. “Is the industry ready for interoperability, and can digital identity solve that?”

He said the flight successfully tested whether the standards that IATA has been building under One ID were valid or not.

“The task for us was to prove if these standards work, and if the interoperability is possible through a capable wallet that can ingest and process verifiable credentials coming in from trusted sources.”

Despite the pilot involving just two passengers, Bhola said, “It's going to production now. I can't discuss much about that because the agreements are still finalizing.”

The connected trip

The startup, which secured its first round of funding of €1.3 million in July 2023, is also conducting pilots and proofs-of-concept with online travel agencies, hotel chains and destinations. “We are trying to prove three big cases,” Bhola said.

“One is how do we solve the upper funnel, which is where we can provide a system in which we are able to understand the user, where the data is with the user, and they are in control. So from booking to payments, to check-in, to right of admissibility at the airport. So this particular experiment we just did, the pilot was to prove the last mile.”

The second piece is around consent.

“What type of information is needed … and who have you given access to your information to and for what reasons,” he said.

The third element is identity orchestration, which is about what type of information needs to be verified at what point. “On Skyscanner or on a metasearch platform, you are trying to make a reservation. It takes you to many options. But every time you go to that particular website, you have to re-onboard yourself,” he said.

“So how can we actually connect these dots together, which is where these three core products line up.”

Government efforts to adopt digital travel credentials based on International Civil Aviation Organization standards are picking up pace, IATA claimed. Europe aims to issue Digital Identity Wallets to citizens and residents by 2027.

A recent PhocusWire article revealed some of the other ongoing digital wallet initiatives as well as the challenges for more widespread adoption.

“There is good reason for optimism,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety, and security.